ACOM Dean Dr. Craig Lenz urges TROY graduates to 'do your best'

Posted: Tuesday, 17 December 2013

DOTHAN - Dr. Craig J. Lenz, dean and senior vice president of the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, urged Troy University graduates in Dothan on Sunday to pursue excellence at whatever job they find after graduation.

"Once you are in an organization, do the best that you can for that organization," Lenz said. "Be ready to do anything that you have been offered to do, sometimes even if you are not ready for it or prepared. Have a positive attitude and say 'I can do it anyway.'"

Lenz delivered the keynote address during the fall commencement ceremony for the Dothan Campus on Sunday, Dec. 15, at the Dothan Civic Center. Some 128 students received degrees this fall at the Dothan Campus.

Lenz urged graduates to do their best at whatever job they find in order to create opportunities for professional advancement.

"Once you get that job, no matter what it is, I want you to do the best that you can, because somewhere around the bend it can lead to something else," Lenz said. "Whatever you do, no matter what it is, do the best that you can."

Lenz also encouraged graduates to take a genuine interest in people and build meaningful relationships with colleagues and others in their professions.

"If you can demonstrate that interest with colleagues and get to know them better, then when those issues of conflict or disagreement come up later, it will be a much smoother road to try and fix them than if you have no ties or no understanding of each other."

Dr. Lenz has more than 30 years of experience in clinical medicine and medical education. Before coming to ACOM in September 2010, Dr. Lenz was Senior Associate Academic Dean/Associate Dean for Clinical Sciences at Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he was one of two founding deans of the college.

The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine is the first osteopathic college to open in Alabama. It is a comprehensive, four-year osteopathic medical college affiliated with Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, a 420-bed regional medical center.

Dr. Craig J. Lenz, dean and senior vice president of the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, delivers the keynote address to Troy University graduates during the fall commencement ceremony for the Dothan Campus on Sunday, Dec. 15, at the Dothan Civic Center. (TROY Photo/Cass Davis)